Natural Elements Horsemanship

22/08/2025

Counting down the days.

17/08/2025

"As long as I live I'll hear waterfalls and birds sing...and get as near the heart of the world as I can." ~John Muir

It’s been hot and dry. Waterfalls aren’t running like they do in early summer but the birds are still singing!

I appreciate hearing the bobwhites on our woods edge in the morning. The geese on the nearby lake prepping the youngsters for the first migration, not that far off.
Young fledgling hawks still hanging around before finding their own territory and place in this world.

The trees are dropping leaves due to stress from heat and drought. The animals have all limited any activity other than necessity.
I’m learning to take heed.

For decades, I’ve measured my life on my daily production or accomplishments…instead of feeling the heart. Maybe age, maybe weather or…maybe the Father reminding me to see part of His heart in his creation…

14/08/2025

Reminder;
The, “pause” is part of the process.
Working/training horses and mules is not merely a matter of ,”getting it done”.

The process matters. It matters to the animal, especially. Everything we do either TO them or WITH them has good or bad ramifications down the road. We can make our own way difficult by not taking the time to pause and allow the animal to “absorb” the interaction.

Horses and mules aren’t naturally, always busy. Yet, when we work with them, we tend to jam as much as we can into every minute…so as not to waste time, “doing nothing”. We need to realize, given the thoughts of the prey animal, the social aspects, herd dynamics, learning process and brain chemistry…the pause, at the right time is as important as any other aspect of training.

I’m not talking about the licking and chewing. That’s a release of tension (TMJ). I’m talking about the deep breath…the release from the animal. What I consider the “bellows” effect.

I often remind folks, especially in the saddle to relax. “Be a bellows…not a balloon.” We, just as our animals, tend to breath shallow, puff up with tension and not release fully. Just loosening your hand on a rope (pressure and release), is not a full release. That animal reads body language. It can tell how deep or full your release is. They will reflect YOU.

Our focus cannot be solely on how the animal performs. We have to assess OUR message.
What is that animal telling me about how it sees me? What is it feeling?

Pause. Think about all the implications.

12/08/2025

If you’re looking for a youngster, these folks have some nice ones.
More listed in in comments.

07/08/2025

I am not desensitizing this mule and I am not trying to make her stand still when the whip pops. If you notice, her cocked rear leg is not a sign of relaxation. Her whole body is a picture of a bit of anxiety and I can feel it from the seat. If I can feel her, she can feel me. While I am moving and popping the whip, my primary communication is to be calm and centered in my seat. Again, she FEELS that.

My goal is NOT to her MAKE her stand like a statue, to shut down, or to suppress or hide anxiety. By my calmness in the seat I am trying to help support her IN her anxiety. I have to consider her opinion of what is going on and help her to manage her emotions regardless of her surroundings, the noise, the motion and to cope with similar situations.

It's not always about controlling what the animal does, but connecting with the inside of the animal...what it thinks and feels (emotionally and physically).

06/08/2025

Out for a, “beat the heat” ride this morning with Mo and Meg.
Good morning at the “office”!

05/08/2025

Posted by a friend and one to be shared.

I’ve been around horses for over 50 years and mules for over 20. I’m still learning!
I’ve done clinics over the years and try to instill in folks…there’s no replacement for the experience of enduring your own failures and celebrating your successes.

Clinics are fine and do have a place in learning but true understanding comes with your own boots in the dirt.

Everybody wants a good horse.
But not everybody wants to become the kind of person that makes a horse good.

In today’s world, people expect fast results.

Instant gratification.
Swipe, click, scroll, done.

People expect success to be delivered like an Amazon Prime Order:
fast, easy, and with a smile.

They want to turn their feral horse into a “finished horse” without ever putting in the hours it takes to truly understand one in the first place.

Here’s the thing…
Mastery isn’t downloadable.
A reciprocal relationship can’t be rushed. It is build over time and it comes with highs and lows.

What took others years of learning, failing, watching, refining, people now want handed to them in a weekend clinic, a 10-minute video, a one time exercise, a one-sentence answer or because they bought a course.

The shortcuts people chase are often detours that lead them right back to where they started, just more frustrated this time.

They want the feel, but not the feedback.
They want the bond, but not the humility.
They want the horse to change, but they don’t want to change themselves.

No one can hand you the timing, the feel, the quiet, calm and consistent leadership it takes.

It can’t be downloaded or bought.

You earn that, you develop it, with every consistent rep and step. With patience. With clarity. Through being a lifetime student of the horse.

By showing up on the days it’s hard, boring, frustrating or humbling.

Put in the work.
Put in the hours.
Because Your horse
deserves that version of You.

Copied from

03/08/2025

You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

30/07/2025

“Don't work for recognition, but do work worthy of recognition.” - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

If you’re here, I want you to know…I appreciate that.

25/07/2025

Looking forward to meeting these mule folks in France!

25/07/2025

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